My blurred opinion

Polish the Mirror

Amy Thurman was a former social worker, and educated at the university level, so it really good that she cared so much to help people. Life took a turn for the worst in 2014 when she woke up one night in a lot of pain. She had passed out landed on her face, and had caused major damage to her self. She ended up with a sheared brainstem, a traumatic brain injury, and a broken neck that went undetected for six months. We talk so much about all the damage that had been caused, all the recovery time, and the guilt that came with it because she had missed so much time with her family just recovering. We talk about the depression, and her hitting rock bottom to the point where she no longer wanted to continue with life. I we then discuss how she pulled it all together, and found her self, her true self.
Her website http://www.polishthemirror.co
https://getamyshelp.com
 

The survivor who loves survivor

Our next guest is a lovely ,energetic Woman by the name of Devon Wieters and from the time we had our first conversation, to current day, I knew we would be good friends. She is also a Podcaster, and a disability advocate. She has a condition, cerebralpalsy, though she has some limitations, with her inner strength, and a strong support system from her family, she has done so much. She may be wheelchair-bound, but she is a very determined young lady, and I see big things in her future.
Listen to her podcast, I'm even a guest on it  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/wheel-with-it-inclusion-and-more/id1567661674

Seeing with your Hands

Talia what is a girls recommended to me, and I'm very glad she was. She is legally blind ,a  disability advocate, and a licensed massage therapist. We discuss her upbringing, her diagnosis, and how are visual impairment came about, mental health, and how it has affected her over the years, and we go in depth on her career, and her passion, for helping those with visual impairment and blindness. One of the conversations that hit me, was when she was told she couldn't raise a kid, while being legally blind, and how that inspired her to get into the massage therapist field. 

When words fail, music speaks

James cox  is a guy I completely hit it off with, he is so positive, and determined. He has the condition, cerebral palsy, and though he has had his share of struggles, his determination and passion always wins out in the end? James lives on his own, works, has his own podcast, and continues to thrive, despite his disability. He wants to be an example that there's no stopping you have a disability, get rid of the excuses, and overcome your fears.
  http://www.whenwordsfailmusicspeaks.com
 

The fabulous Mikayla

This episode has Mikayla holmegren, and her mother. Mikayla has a strong spirit, she has multiple diagnoses, including down syndrome. When you first hear all the odds that are stacked against her, you might envision a beaten down person, but with the help of her mother and the rest of her family, and her strong fighting spirit, she's turned herself into an amazing person, and she overcomes the odds every day. She is a model, dancer, and motivational speaker. her website https://www.mikaylaholmgren.com

It doesn’t define you, it just changes how you do things

When trying to write Katherine's episode description, I came across her bio on podmatch, and I figured I just use that because it is the best description of her, she really is a kind person, and I'm so happy to have gotten to know her.
From being the little girl who played HR (even firing her mother when she was five years old) and sold shares in her "company" to running a successful People Operations consulting business and speaking internationally while battling more diagnoses than most 70-year-olds, she has had quite the journey. She wouldn't have it any other way! She is neurodiverse (Bipolar, OCD,  Misophonia) and physically diverse (multiple diagnoses including a seizure disorder) and I am successful WITH my diagnosis, not in spite of them. Her neurodiversity is my superpower! Her missions are inclusion, innovation, and integrity. I enjoy speaking and providing actionable advice about diversity and inclusion, innovative hiring, HR Tech, entrepreneurship, neurodiversity, and general empowerment. Katherine is energetic and enjoys using comedy, but beware!... she also is very bold and while she can undoubtedly filter her language, she always tells it how it is, and wouldn't have it any other way. She has spoken for United Nations delegates through AIMS, the London School of Business, SHRM, HR Disrupter Summit, Web Summit, and many podcasts.
Her website https://www.titanmanagementusa.com

Living with no excuses

Noah Galloway
Birth name
Noah Matthew Galloway
Born
October 28, 1981 (age 41)Birmingham, Alabama, U.S.
Allegiance
United States
Service/branch
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Noah Matthew Galloway (born October 28, 1981  is a former United States Army soldier, motivational speaker, and extreme sports enthusiast. He was injured during the Iraq War, losing his left arm above the elbow and left leg above the knee. He was a contestant on Dancing with the Stars season 20, paired with Sharna Burgess. The pair finished in third place. He led his team to victory in the first season of the American Grit TV show on FOX. His book Living with No Excuses: The Remarkable Rebirth of an American Soldier was released in August 2016. Made an appearance on the Cross Over with Ted Davis, Dario Melendez and Armen Saryan on May 8, 2020. An Emmy award sports talk radio show based in Milwaukee. He is a very busy person, well accomplished, and he's very humble on his success, and everything he's made it through. I'm just so appreciative that he would come on, and tell his story, because he's an amazing guy with a story that will, and has inspired many
Website
noahgalloway.com
 

Scars to stars

Deana Mitchell was recommended to me by a past guest, he had been in one of her books, and told me that I should get in touch with her, and that I could possibly be a part of the series as well, not knowing that her and I would become friends, and that I would have her on the show. I am very grateful to her for the opportunity, but also more importantly, her friendship. Deana is a very kind person, but as always had a shadow over her, a dark shadow, and she never really fully addressed until later in life. She's always had depression, and she's even attempted suicide once, but never told anybody, because she didn't think anyone would fully understand. She also has psoriasis which is a skin condition, and endometriosis, which is a condition that makes it really hard to have children. Now that she's finally really addressing all her issues from her past, she's finding her true self, and she has even created a New York Times, best selling series that is helping countless people, and and she's another beautiful example of someone taking their pain and turning it into something positive.
https://cdn.fbsbx.com/v/t59.2708-21/361726012_1185359426192023_7270298969291956629_n.docx/General-Bio-June-2023-Deana-Brown-Mitchell.docx?_nc_cat=100&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=0cab14&_nc_ohc=bBXoye4O6sEAX-lZ5mk&_nc_ht=cdn.fbsbx.com&oh=03_AdT3w-M9WX3Mjo3DXCMW2fSiFCOm0RqGl971Dfe2C3A-bw&oe=64C0DF21&dl=1
 

One lonely New Year’s Eve

This is an episode I did a few years back, I was really depressed, feeling really lonely, and I decided to put the microphone in front of me and hit record on the podcast board. It's a moment in time where it shows how certain holidays can spark, an adverse reaction, and a sad moment in a person with a disability eyes. This was about two years ago, and I decided to put the episode in the vault for someday if I ever wanted to release it, I didn't want to react and put it out just because that's how I was feeling, but I did want to show how some days this is how I feel. Though this is not entirely how I feel at the moment, I do make some good points, and there are some things I do say in this episode that I still feel that way to this day. 

Small in stature, but large impact

 Becky Curran Kekula is a motivational speaker and advocate for people with physical disabilities. Kekula, who was born with achondroplasia, a form of dwarfism, works as director of the Disability Equality Index, a tool that helps businesses plan solutions to achieve disability inclusion and equality. The marketing major discussed the accommodations that help her do everyday activities, the challenges she faced while starting a career in the entertainment industry, and what’s on the horizon for her family. It was really nice talking to her, and it's even more important to see a female who advocates for her condition the way she does. https://beacons.ai/beckymotivates